Mail-pouch



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. EDGAR.

MAIL POUCH.

No. 427,676. Patented May 13, 1890.

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MAIL POUCH. No. 427,676. Patented May 13, 1890.

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B. EDGAR.

MAIL POUCHl No. 427,676. Patented May 13, 1890.

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m. Uf/f f UNrTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BUTLER EDGAR, OF SUNBURY, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-POUCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letterslatent No. 427,676, dated May 13,1890.

Application tiled February 6, 1890. Serial No. 339,410. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern: y

Be it known that I, BUTLER EDGAR, a citizen of the'United States,residing at Sunbury, in the county of Northumberland and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMail-Pouches; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others Askilledin the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to produce mail-pouches simple inconstruction, durable in use, easily and readily opened by Whoever hasthe right, and as near as can be impossible to be entered withoutviolence by those who have not the right, iiexihle, yet `firm, and inevery respect thoroughly adapted to the purpose for which they are madeand used.

The nature of my invention is set forth in the specification and claims.

Figure l is a front View of the pouch when in use, showing the staple D,the lock which fastens it, and the tag which contains the directions andits connections. Fig. 2 is a rear View of the upper section of thepouch, showing its mouth, the interior llap B, the staple D, and theline of contact Where the exterior flap C is attached to the Wall of thepouch along the line y y. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the linea; @c ofFig. l. Fig. 3% isla rear front view of the pouch when open to receiveits contents, showing the interior flap B, exterior flap C, aprons A andGr, and segments H, I, and J and their connections. Fig. .tis a View otthe blank or skeleton for manufacturing the pouch. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 aredetails of iiaps B and G-that is, showing the segments and aprons. Fig.S is a perspective View of the tag-holder E, containing the directions.

A, Fig. l, denotes a inail-pouch ot the ordinary size made of heavydurable leather, canvas, or the two combined.

Vith the exception ot certain parts hereinafter described in detail, thepouch may be cut, in its entirety or in sections, from the material ofwhich it is made and firmly riveted together along one side and on thebottom.

B, Fig. 2, is an interior flap, part of the main pouch extending abovethe line of its mouth 'from three to four inches, according to the sizeand capacity desired, and carried out with the square corners a litt-lemore than flush with its sides when the pouch is closed. This flap B maybe made integral with or attached to the body of the pouch. The purposein so extending the extremities of the fiap a little more than iiushwith the sides ot' the pouch is a protection against the mouth ot thepouch springing open by rough hand ling and a general security againstentering it by any means which does not result in its destruction. Thisflap folds down evenly and closely over the mouth of the pouch, and Whenthe pouch is closed for use is iirmly held in its place by the staple Dand fia-p C, and, as stated, is designed to prevent egress ont of oringress into the pouch. This flap, when folded into position over themouth of the pouch, reaches doivn to and is in complete contact with theflap C where the latter is riveted to the wall of the pouch. Attached tothe rear face of this iiap B by riveting to its upper edge and partiallydown its ends is an apron A, Figs. 39,- and 7, made of heavy leathercorresponding in length to the length of the Hap or Width of the pouchand covering the iiap down to the mouth of the pouch. The lower side ofthis apron is not i'astened. The open ends ot the staple pass throughthe upper or riveted side of the apron, and by means of an immovable capmay be firmly fastened to it and to the flap B.

II, I, and J, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, are segments of the flap B, and aredesigned to strengthen the mouth and to give and preserve the form andfirmness of the upper part of the pouch. Two of these segments Il and .lare extensions and may be made integral parts of this flap. Connectedwith it and extending therefrom they are folded around, equally in eX-tent, the sides of the pouch and arc riveted to the rear of the pouchimmediately below its mouth. The segment I is detached-that is, not anintegral part of the iiap B-and of the same Width as the segments H andJ, and occupies the full space between them and the same position inrelation to the mouth of the pouch, and like those just described isfirmly riveted to the rear of the pouch imme diately below its mouth.

ICO

G, Figs. {if} and 6, is an apron of about the same size as that of theapron A above described, and may be said to be a companion piece to it.It is riveted to the rear front Walland Within the mouth of the pouch onthe side opposite the flap B, which flap is a part of or secured to thefront of the pouch. This apron G is fastened within the mouth of thepouch sufficiently down from its edge to insure complete firmness andextends suf- 'ficiently far above the line of its mouth to correspond tothe unfastened portion of the apron A The length of this apron Gcorresponds to the width of the pouch measured on its inside. Vhen thepouch is closed for use, the apron G slips under the apron A between itand the flap B, thus absolutely sealing the mouth of the pouch.

C, Fig. 2, is an exterior flap-that is, one designed to be folded overthe interior flap B-and is made of heavy leather or other suitablematerial firmly riveted to the rear wall of the pouch along the line y yand at such distance below its mouth as to be just below the end of theflap B when the latter is folded down to its place, as above described.The lower Yor fixed end of the flap covers the surface of the pouchfully from side to side and suiliciently below the mouth of the pouch torivet it securely. This fiap folds over the iiap B and over the work endof the pouch in the direction of its length. From the point in this flapwhere it is riveted to the pouch it is truncated equally on both sidestoward its outer end to about one-half its width, as may be necessary inuse. The outer end, by means of the slot a, slips over the staple D andis there secured by the lock. (Shown in Fig. l.) Along the inside ofthis flap, riveted to each edge, from its outer end to the line ofattachment to the main body of the pouch, are two segments c c, Figs.S-- and 5, about two inches wide, as use may require. Also there isattached to this flap, to the inside of the outer end, for aboutone-third its length, the segment c', filling the entire space betweenthe segments c c. The segments c c are designed and are put in theirplace to prevent the stretching and enlarging of the fiap to which theyare attached, and the segment c is designed to give firmness andstrength to the flap where it receives the,

staple D.

D, Figs. l and 3, is an iron staple of suitable length and strength, itsopen ends securely riveted onto the front side of the flap .B and ontothe opposite side of the same flap by an immovable cap, if need be, nearits center measured laterally and about one inch from its upper edge.IVhen the pouch is closed for use, this staple passes through both wallsof the pouch and through the outer or movable end of the fiap C andthrough one end of the tag E, and then receives the lock.

E, Figs. l and 8, is an adjustable tag-holder, whose length and breadthare regulated by use, made of two pieces of heavy leather of unequallengths ff. The bottom or longer piecef exceeds the upper in length andprojects at either end sufficient to permit cutting in each end twoparallel slots b Z). The upper or shorter piece j" is riveted to thelower along their corresponding edges, except so much of the end nextthe staple neces-` sarily left open atji, Fig. 8, to introduce the cardcontaining the directions. This tagholder lies across the pouch when itis fastened at right angles to its length, and is kept in position atone end by a metallic-capped button F, Fig. l, inserted through the slotZ2 and riveted to the side of the pouch, and the other end,A by means ofa similar slot, slips over the ,staple D. These slots l) ZJ are ofsufficient length to give to the tag-holder a moderate freedom of motiontransversely to the axis of the pouch, which does not interfere with orimpair its flexibility or utility. The function of this tag-holder is toreceive and protect the mailing directions of the pouch inserted throughthe opening f2 in the end next the staple and secured in its place bysaid staple if the space between the upper and lower parts of thetag-holder is not a sufficient guard.

I'Iere it may bc remarked that my device contemplates only one staple,which closes and controls all and every egress and ingress of the pouchand renders unnecessary straps and all other appendages except thetagholder and lock.

Having thus described my improvement, I claiml. In a mailpouch, theinterior flap B, having the segments II, J, and I, and the apron A',

secured to said flap, in combination with the exterior flap C, havingthe strengthening-seg ments c and c secured thereto, and the apron G,secured to the rear wall of the pouch within its mouth and adapted toengage with the apron A on the fiap B, all subsgintially as described.

2. In a mail-pouch, the flap 13, having the segments II and J foldedaround the-sides of the pouch and secured to its rear wall, the segmentI, filling' the space between the segments- II and J and likewisesecured to the rear wall of the pouch, and the apron A', secured to theouter edge of the flap B,in combination with the'flap C, secured to therear wall of the pouch and strengthened by the IIO segments c and c',the staple D whose open Y ends arc riveted to the front side of the flapB, and the tag-holder E, secured to the front of the pouch by the buttonF and adapted to engage the said staple, whereby the pouch is securelylocked, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BUTLER EDGAR. Witnesses:

L T. RoHReAcH, C. SToRRs.

